Beyond having enjoyed port throughout my life, I'm a complete beginner when it comes to actually selecting a port beyond what you might consider the 'usual suspects'. I've been asked to be a guardian to my closest friends child and as such my first thought was to give a gift of a bottle of port to be opened several years down the line. The child in question was born in 2015, however I've been told not to buy anything so whilst I still will, ideally I need to keep to just one bottle (though I may buy one for myself too...), around a budget of £50. I'm happy to go a little over this but that's roughly the price I'm aiming at. So my questions are:

1) Is it even possible / worth picking up a bottle at that price to be drunk 18-21 years later?
2) Was 2015 a good vintage year? I'm open to a bottle from a different year if 2015 bottles are not good.
3) What would people recommend and where would be the best place to buy it from? Ideally to be delivered asap as I've left this a bit late!

Thanks in advance and apologies for being such a novice in this area!
Gavin.

a budget of £50. I'm happy to go a little over this but that's roughly the price I'm aiming at. So my questions are:

1) Is it even possible / worth picking up a bottle at that price to be drunk 18-21 years later?

Most definitely possible to obtain bottles at around that price BUT currently only en-primeur; having just declared 2015, most producers will ship bottles in the autumn, so they will only be physically available towards the end of the year. Note also that buying en-primeur would normally only be in multiples of 6, for standard bottles.

Whether worthwhile to buy would depend on many factors including value judgements, but in particular whether the recipient (or recipient's family) can store the bottle well for that time to ensure the quality when opened (vs if you were to purchase a pack of 6 bottles en-primeur, these could be delivered to and held in-bond in professional storage, guaranteeing provenance and maximising quality when withdrawn for drinking or sale many years later).

2) Was 2015 a good vintage year? I'm open to a bottle from a different year if 2015 bottles are not good.

2015 has not been widely declared, however based on opinions of those who have tasted it that I trust, I would expect some of the primary vendors to be sufficiently good that I would stay with 2015 for the "correct" year for your purposes.

Hello and welcome Gavin.
These are some Ports that have scored high in tastings so far. Unfortunately not available until autumn as said before. Any one of these will surely be much appreciated 20+ years down the line.
Quinta do Noval Vintage Port 2015
Cockburn's Vintage Port 2015
Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Port 2015
Niepoort Vintage Port 2015
Graham's The Stone Terraces Vintage Port 2015

Hello and welcome Gavin.
These are some Ports that have scored high in tastings so far. Unfortunately not available until autumn as said before. Any one of these will surely be much appreciated 20+ years down the line.
Quinta do Noval Vintage Port 2015
Cockburn's Vintage Port 2015
Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Port 2015
Niepoort Vintage Port 2015
Graham's The Stone Terraces Vintage Port 2015

Am I correct in thinking then that the above mentioned bottles can be bought now? I've done a search and found them for sale.

If this is the case, what would be the bottles to look out for being released this autumn?

Finding them "for sale" and actually being able to acquire them at this time are two very different things. Many retailers list and sell bottles that they do not yet have in stock. I recently purchased 6 bottles online and, after purchase, found out that they won't be arriving until fall. Which wasn't a problem in my case, but it could come as a surprise to someone else trying to buy.

A good place to buy them depends on where you are. Let us know your rough location and we'll point you towards a (reasonably) convenient wine merchant where you can buy a bottle or two of 2015 vintage port in the late autumn or early winter.

Don't fret too much about storage. They key issue is to lay the bottles down where they will be in the dark and free from vibration. They also need to be kept at a stable temperature as much as possible - ideally in a cool damp cellar but the bottom of a wardrobe in a north facing bedroom or under the stairs would be perfectly adequate. Please don't store them in the loft, the garage, the kitchen or a garden shed as the large daily fluctations in temperature in those sorts of environments would be likely to kill the wine after a few years.

Don't be afraid to be cheeky and reach out to your nearest wine merchant and ask whether there is an opportunity for you to try the 2015 ports before you decide which to buy. You never know, you could be lucky.